Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 4 is a sequel over a decade in the making, and fans are eagerly waiting for more news about the highly anticipated sequel to the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi series. There are hundreds of questions surrounding this game, which has just been announced. Players are concerned about the graphics, how the combat will feel, and how Dragon Ball Super will be integrated into it.
Since Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3's release, there's been a multitude of different Dragon Ball games. Not only has this built up the standard of anime games over the years, but it is expected this new game will incorporate what the industry has learned in the near 15 years since Budokai Tenkaichi 3. While fans are hopeful this game will be amazing, there are definitely features Budokai Tenkaichi 4 should take from each of the previous Dragon Ball games to be a better all-round experience.
5 Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3: The Roster
Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 has one of the most comprehensive and iconic rosters of any fighting game ever made. Not only did this game feature nearly every character in the entire series, they were all playable and had their own degree of depth. Most major characters had multiple iterations, such as Kid Gohan, Teen Gohan, Adult Gohan, Future Gohan and Potential Unleashed Gohan. Most characters also had their own quirks or things that made them special, be it Trunks' extra 'buff' form or Broly being tough to knock back - there was definitely a lot going on.
Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 4 is in the novel position where it has a plethora of new characters from the new anime series, new movies and other spin-offs for it to integrate. Obviously, there comes a point where a massive roster is difficult to develop, and it can be hard making characters unique. Regardless, given the wait, most fans would expect a roster at least on par with the last entry in the series.
4 Dragon Ball Z: Legacy Of Goku2 : RPG Elements
Legacy of Goku 2 was a severely underrated game, essentially starting off after the Frieza Saga, the game covers the Androids, the Cell Saga, and everything to do with Future Trunks. The game plays like a 2D Open World RPG. Players take control of characters including Gohan, Trunks and Piccolo, essentially playing through the events of the anime, but also doing various side quests.
Players can level up their characters, max out certain abilities and use different items and stat boosts to supplement their gameplay. A new Budokai Tenkaichi game could take up this character progression style of gameplay to mix things up their tried and tested formula.
3 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot: The Open World Environment
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was not expected to be anything special, and it seemed like the run-of-the-mill basic Dragon Ball Z game retreading the same narrative and story beats over again with its own take on the combat. Saying that to this game after release would be very unfair. While it is more of the same, this game has a ton of unique ideas, and it develops them well. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot had a massive sprawling open world where players could fly around and take part in different side quests.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's open world was full of Easter eggs and secrets for players to explore and discover. There were tons of different collectibles and 'soul emblems' littered around the map for players to locate. Moreover, the game featured a variety of different landscapes, including forests, metropolitan areas, and large deserts. Exploring these and interacting with different characters, enemies, and animals was a highlight. While Budokai Tenkaichi 4 is likely to feature large stages, it would be great if there was some element of exploration and added detail which made the world of Kakarot feel more alive.
2 Dragon Ball FighterZ: The Graphics And Visuals
Dragon Ball FighterZ is a visually stunning game. The colors pop off and the splash of paint-esque treatment most special moves get looks incredible on every console the game is available on. And, of course, the 3D models that are textured to look like hand-drawn sprites fit in perfectly. Every aspect of this game is stunning.
Admittedly, the level of attention in FighterZ probably can't be emulated to a massive scale as would be required in Budokai Tenkaichi 4, but it would be nice for the game to pay attention to graphics and visuals. The Dragon Ball series has the potential to be a visual delight in videogame media, and it needs to be utilized properly more often.
1 Dragon Ball Xenoverse: Custom Character
Xenoverse brought a lot of new features to the Dragon Ball universe. The most prominent of these has to be the custom character creation which lets players create their own character, whether it be a Namekian, Saiyan, Human or a Changeling. Players could choose their character's moves, playstyle, Ki Blast as well as assign a mentor, such as Tien or Piccolo, and even alter their physical appearance.
While it may seem odd at first, given how Budokai Tenkaichi games play and operate, it shouldn't be a difficult task balancing the game around custom characters, and it adds a degree of player autonomy which would be welcomed.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 is now in development.